One month in at Salem’s KNUS, and judging only by the broad figures in the ranker (as opposed to the specific demographic numbers by which advertisers make their spending decisions), Boyles is drawing nearly 1,000 more listeners per average quarter hour from 6-7 a.m. than his competition. Of course July was during a period of churn for KHOW before settling on a permanent successor to Boyles.

In the aftermath of the abrupt departure of longtime Denver talk-show host Peter Boyles from the KHOW airwaves, the station’s managers have been rotating a number of interim hosts through the studio without naming a replacement. The Independence Institute’s Jon Caldara has been the biggest local name among them. According to Clear Channel’s Greg Foster, “no decisions have been made regarding mornings on 630 KHOW. We’re taking a listen to a lot of different hosts, including Joe Pags… and you’ll hear some other voices over the next few weeks.”

Staffers who spoke anonymously due to the sensitivity of the topic said there is a high degree of nervousness within the building regarding Pags as the key to the morning show’s future. Many are convinced Joe Pags (Pagliarulo) essentially has the gig. He’s been substituting this week, they say, as a way to get the technical bugs out before he officially assumes the post.

Pags does an early evening show on Clear Channel’s flagship station, WOAI in San Antonio. “The real slap in the face to those of us in Denver is that Pags isn’t going to leave San Antonio. He’s going to stay there and do both shows. So, our “local” morning show is going to be done by a guy sitting in Texas.” That solution would be in keeping with Clear Channel’s trend toward syndicated shows and fewer live and local hosts.

No matter how you felt about Boyles — and emotions ran high on all sides — he was all about Denver, a strong voice weighing in on all things Colorado. The idea that a Denver morning radio show can be plugged in from out of state is one of those unfortunate mistakes the bean counters tend to make when cutting costs. Sure, the local folks can do cut-ins for weather and traffic, but then it’s back to generic talk with no geographic connection. Various 24-hour cable TV channels, satellite radio networks and NPR provide that. Local radio has the capacity to be something different. Something truly local. It would be a shame if KHOW gave up that distinction.

Joanne Ostrow has been watching TV since before "reality" required quotation marks. "Hill Street Blues" was life-changing. If Dickens, Twain or Agatha Christie were alive today, they'd be writing for television. And proud of it.